London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 29, 2025

Bradford wins UK City of Culture 2025 bid

Bradford wins UK City of Culture 2025 bid

Bradford has won the competition to be named the UK's City of Culture for 2025.

The decision was announced on The One Show on BBC One by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.

Bradford will follow Coventry, the current holder of the title, and those behind the city's bid believe it will generate £700m and create 3,000 jobs.

County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham had all been shortlisted alongside Bradford.

Shanaz Gulzar who led the Bradford bid described the win as a "huge opportunity".

"To celebrate our extraordinary cultural heritage and for our young, ethnically diverse population - who have been so involved in shaping our bid - to become leaders and changemakers and begin a new chapter in our story."

The artist said for too long the city had been overlooked and underestimated.

"It's now our time to shine."

Bradford's council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said the win would bring "so many opportunities" and the area had started "to come to life as never before".

"Being UK City of Culture brings with it so many opportunities for people not only in terms of creativity and culture, but also for employment, attracting inward investment, boosting the local economy and opening up opportunities for young people to enhance their skills," she added.

The landmark year is set to deliver more than 1,000 new performances and events, including 365 artist commissions, a series of major arts festivals as well as national and international collaborations.

Crowds gathered in City Park to watch the announcement


West Yorkshire's Mayor Tracy Brabin said she was delighted Bradford had been chosen.

"No city deserves this more," she said.

"As one of the youngest and most diverse places in the UK, Bradford will benefit so much from this platform to highlight everything it has to offer."

She said the year would be a fitting showcase for the "incredible cultural and artistic" talent in the city.

Crowds in Bradford's City Park watched the announcement live and reacted with jubilation, and the city council tweeted: "OMG we've only gone and done it."


Bradford facts:


*  Bradford and the surrounding area have a population of about 540,000 people

*  In the 19th Century it rose to prominence as home to major textile manufacturing, especially wool

*  Its Victorian wealth means the city today has over 4,000 listed buildings

*  Bradford is the world's first UNESCO City of Film, having long been home to the National Science and Media Museum

*  It has one of the youngest populations in the UK, with a quarter of its residents aged under 16

*  It is the birthplace of the artist David Hockney, the writer J B Priestley and Zayne Malik of One Direction fame

*  Films set in Bradford include: Billy Liar; Rita, Sue and Bob Too; The Selfish Giant and Ali and Ava

*  Haworth, the home of the Bronte sisters, is one of the many villages in the Bradford district

The winner was approved by Ms Dorries based on independent advice from a panel of experts led by TV writer-producer Sir Phil Redmond.

She said Bradford was a "worthy winner".

"Art and culture should be accessible to everyone and this prestigious title will help Bradford deliver unforgettable events for communities on their doorstep.

"There was stiff competition and I thank County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough for their excellent bids."

The bid team hope winning will generate thousands of new jobs and investment in the city


Southampton bid director Claire Whitaker said she was proud of the "passion and support of the city" despite losing out to Bradford.

Neal Thompson, co-founder of Focus Wales Festival and a key partner in Wrexham's bid, said the story was not over.

On behalf of Durham's bid, the leader of Durham County Council Amanda Hopgood said they were "disappointed" but congratulated Bradford.


A UK City of Culture is chosen every four years and has previously been awarded to Derry (2013), Hull (2017) and Coventry (2021).

Bradford will receive £270,000 in initial funding to assist it in developing its plans and will also be eligible for a £3m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

For the first time the three runners up will receive £125,000 to enable them to move forward with some of the elements of their bids.

Sir Phil Redmond said the choice was never about one bid being better than another.

"It is more that one bid has the potential to make a bigger and deliverable impact."

He said he was looking forward to seeing how far Bradford could raise the cultural bar.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
×